A Stroke Of Serendipity
by fxtxnbulous
Summary: Death can be merciful, perhaps too merciful. When Natsu Dragneel, a spirit known as Death is tasked to kill Lucy Heartfilla, he finds himself experiencing the beauty of friendship, love and betrayal. This is a story about being human. —nalu death!fic (quite literally)
1. Chapter 1

( ** _-o-)_**

 ** _Chance 1: Sleeping beauty_**

 ** _(-o-)_**

He didn't like rain.

Never did and never would. And today, just so happened to be one of his more unluckier days. As usual, it was the kind of night where it was not only raining, but it was cold and heavy with fog. The streets were silent, dead, and filled with the musical aroma of mayhem that often ran around during the deadly hours of magnolia.

There was a rumble across the sky.

He was late.

Again.

He groaned as he past through the narrow lane. His head was fuzzy with colours. Stupid humans. You see, Natsu Dragneel wasn't, per say, human. Although he may appear like one (and a very good looking one at that), he was not. He was more of a entity, a guardian or a spirit if you must. But he much rather prefer the label Death. Because he _was_ Death. He would come and go, roam the streets to tend to his duty— taking away life. Humans couldn't see him, well, unless they were close to the end of their short, tortured lives and he couldn't see humans at all. All he saw, were swirls of colours and shapes that resembled them.

He was Death. Only blind and walking.

Today was more busier than usual. The number of humans dying had increased, mainly due to how street crime was escalating. However, the days that were the hardest, were the days where he had to carry the small, limp bodies out. And every time he did so, a part of him broke. Their little hands would curl around the tails of his white scarf and hug onto it, and whisper all their confessions like soft prayers, then they would look up at him with marble eyes and blink once, twice, then tell him: _"I forgive you."_

Every time he wished they would escape him, cheat him in his own business like how humanity had done so for the past few hundred, million decades. And no matter how long he had been in his line of work, he still didn't quite understand the pattern.

He sighed when he got to the alley way of a tall, pale yellowish building that reeked of the old and the sick. Wondering how he should get to his next client, he glanced upwards and happened to notice a ladder, followed by a set of stairs that led up to each room. He stretched his back before he started his journey to the 15th floor— if he was correct.

The journey up was anything but pleasant. Through each window he could see an uncomfortable swirl, a disgusting mix of green and blue, sometimes a touch of purple. There were times where he saw a crowd of blue and red mixed together. He presumed there were definitely more than 2 humans in one room, all experiencing a cacophony of emotions.

Then, that was when he saw a beautiful, bright swirl of pink, orange, yellow and a small tint of green and blue (that ruined the picture).

His eyes widened as he crept closer towards the window and through the mist, he saw the mixture of colours curled up in a layer of covers. The body shifted and squirmed, before it relaxed and melted back into the bed it laid on. And when it did so, its colours seemed to glow even brighter, more vibrant and stunning. The human was a young woman, around her early twenties and if he was correct, she had blonde hair and possibly big brown eyes.

It was then he realised, she was his client.

He would make her death quick with the snap of his fingers. Although she would struggle and grasp for a sense of Life (ugh, he hated that bastard Life), it wouldn't matter afterwards because she would succumb to his darkness.

They always did.

That was, if she was his everyday kind of client.

But she wasn't. She was different, he could tell. She was full of everything that he was not, even more than the little humans who would wrap themselves in his scarf, she was like gold. Like sunshine. She was… beauty? Was that the word Life would often use? He wouldn't know because he didn't see the world as how Life would see it. Though, at times, he wished he did.

Natsu shook his head. He had a job to do. One final job and then, he was done for the day. He just wanted to go home and play with his cat and sleep. Was that too much to ask for?

He entered the small room and took one step forward towards the bed where she slept. He held up his hand and there, revealed a fluorescent glow of fire that tickled his fingers and wrapped itself around the palm of his hand. The warmth radiated through the room and the colour kissed itself against the young woman's. It seemed to add a soft mixture into hers.

Now, he was standing beside her, prepared to do his job and ready to slam his hand against her chest and rip out what was left of her existence.

He wanted to.

And yet, he couldn't.

He furrowed his eyebrows. It was as though every part of him froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak he couldn't breathe. For the first time, Death could not bring himself to do his job.

"She's beautiful isn't she?"

He spun around and saw, standing by the window and radiated with icy blue and white, was Life, also known as Gray Fullbuster. His profession was looking after the healthy, living ones, the ones who still had a future. Unlike Natsu, he loved his job.

Gray walked over to his side and looked at the young woman, who was quietly tucked in and sleeping soundly. He also had another thing Natsu so desperately wanted, he could see how humans looked, not just a palette of colorus clashing into one another, he saw them in their own flesh and blood.

"Why are you here?" Natsu mumbled without sparing him a glance.

"Don't be such a sore ass." He laughed and nudged his side, "Well I'm bored. I'm just here to check up on my _pal._ "

Natsu snorted, "Right."

"So, this is your next client?" Gray had noticed the sleeping girl.

"Yeah." Natsu answered back bluntly, "Yeah, she is."

There was a moment of silence. A moment filled with a twinge of regret.

"Look." Gray sighed and touched the wrist of his burning hand, "I know this isn't your… _thing,_ but why don't you give this one a break? You and I both know, this one doesn't want to go, not just yet."

"Correction, no one does." Natsu jerked his wrist from his hold and glared at him, "No one wants me. Not now, not ever. There's this great game around me in case you haven't noticed, the _great escape_. You should try it one day. It's fun." He said sarcastically, "As you can see, unlike you, they hate me. But do they get a choice?" He paused, "Do _I_ get a choice?"

Gray stayed silent as the two continued to watch the vibrant array of colours before them twist and turn as she dreamt what humans dream.

"If you could only see what I see," Gray said quietly, "You wouldn't give her up even if it meant jeopardising your job."

There was a stillness that ensued.

"I know." Natsu said back with the same amount of tone in his voice.

Suddenly an idea popped up inside Life's head. "You have one chance. You and I both have one chance. You can use this chance to save her." Gray said quickly and pointed towards Natsu's sleeve. There was a small bump that shaped a bottle, around the size of his palm, Death's eyes widened and Gray continued, "But you know the consequence-"

In fact, Natsu didn't know the consequence— at all. But when it finally struck to him, his eyes darkened.

"She dies anyways." He concluded.

"She doesn't deserve it this time Natsu." Gray said, "I would know. I see the potential in her. Leave her be and come back next time."

"I-"

"He-hello?"

In a flash, Life vanished in thin air and left a puff of cold air to breeze by Natsu. He made a mental note to give him a good punch the next time he saw him again.

She had woken up and her eyes were half lidded and she was still heavy with sleep— he could sense. Her breathing was raspy, slightly forced as though each breath was a nightmare to breathe out. The colour green began to spread all the way up to her throat, like venom. Then she started to cough and choke on them, her breathing became more erratic and they soon turned into harsh pants. It was a full blown minute of coughing, wheezing, gasping and struggling before she managed to compose herself. Natsu froze as he watched her, he felt a strange urge to help the poor woman with whatever she was dealing with. It was strange because he wanted to _help._ He was Death. _Helping_ wasn't his _thing_.

"Nurse I-I need," She mumbled out as she rubbed her eyes. Then, she stared at him for a moment, her eyes winced, and her vision was hazy. She couldn't make out what was in front of her, it was a man— for sure— with a tint of pink? It was pink. Definitely. A man with… pink hair.

Natsu tried to imagine her appearance the best he could by the shapes. One thing he knew was that, she was wearing a loose hospital gown that looked far too big on her and a necklace that hung around her neck was held together by merely a small piece of tape.

Suddenly, her whole body went rigid. Stiff. Her breathing went quiet and her eyes as big as plates. Natsu realised she had probably noticed his presence since he was literally right in front of her— and his hand was still burning.

"I-" Her breathing hitched when she felt the warm glow of the fire tickle her skin, like nails. "Wh-who are you?" She breathed out and then she began coughing again, but this time it was slightly better.

He looked at her with sheer curiosity. It was his first time communicating with an actual human who was still alive and well. It was his first time with an actual human where there was no tears shed against his clothes or blood dripping down his feet. He was face to face, with a breathing soul.

"I'm here to—" His voice came out hoarse and abrupt. Here to what? Here to kill you? Here to take your soul away? He looked at her with pure horror, unsure as to how to answer her question. But when he saw her inch closer towards him, his expression suddenly died and his heart— if he had one—struggled against his chest like a caged creature. Her colour blinded his eyes until he could see nothing but white and yellow despite the fact that it was still night.

"You don't need to explain." She said softly and touched the arm of his burning hand and held it closer towards her, he almost flinched at her touch, "You're here to kill me aren't you?"

She didn't say that out of confidence, because she had to know. Whether she was going to live another day and wait until death was right by her doorstep again— literally— or die tonight, in a small room with nothing but flowers from her friends and family settled beside her.

Natsu sucked in a deep breath and regarded her for a moment— not that he visually could. He looked at the swirls around her chest, they intertwined with one another like knots and vines. She was scared, he realised, but not quite that scared. She was accepting her fear.

She was accepting him.

"No."

His final reply not only shocked her, but himself. He took one step back and let the fire in his hand subside. Then out from his sleeve he pulled out one small blue bottle with the words: **CHANCE #1** printed on it. He motioned it towards her and knelt down beside her bed, she watched silently as he unscrewed the cap exposing an unpleasant liquid.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said cautiously, "Drink this. It'll help."

She nodded slowly and took the bottle out from his hand. When her delicate fingers brushed against his his, every nerve in his body went on fire and his face flushed with red, he quickly looked away and coughed uncomfortably. As she drank from the bottle, he noticed the green smudge had become a bit fainter, and perhaps less.

When she was done, she handed the bottle back to him in a gentle movement. She flashed him a smile— the first smile a human had ever shown to him.

"Thank you."

His heart clenched at those words. And he said the only words he thought were the most appropriate as a reply.

"You're welcome."

He studied her movements as she crawled to the edge of her bed and seated herself up, the blankets had been thrown off and she held a pillow close to her chest. She shifted in her spot, finding it was getting rather hot in the room despite the weather outside. She just couldn't pin-point where the heat was coming from.

But Natsu, knowing his body heat compared to humans was rather high, silently smirked when he had noticed her action.

"What's your name?" She asked.

He blinked. It took him a moment to answer, as he was still finding all of it hard to believe. Her face, was bright, pure light and it was bursting with life. He could tell, Gray was right.

"Natsu." He finally replied and decided to add a small grin to that, "Natsu Dragneel."

"Like summer." She noted out-loud and nodded. "My name is Lucy," She said and stuck out her hand, "Lucy Heartfilla."

He didn't… want to shake her hand— and yet he wanted to. What if he had hurt her? Like how he had hurt everyone else? But the thing was, she didn't know who he was. She didn't need to know who he was because in the long run, he figured, it wouldn't matter.

He shook her hand and felt his stomach begin to coil and flutter with butterflies. Pathetic, he thought bitterly to himself and felt a lost of manliness. Yet, he wouldn't say they weren't pleasant feelings.

"I like your hair." She said, with a touch of shyness. He could tell she wasn't completely comfortable with him yet and he couldn't blame her. He was a man that just barged into her room with a burning hand who was tasked to kill her— and yet he didn't.

"My hair?"

"I like the colour of it." She smiled and reached out her long fingers and played with the ends of his spikes, giggling as she felt the softness of each strand, "It feels… nice."

He wanted to say something about her hair too. He would if he could see how it looked like.

"I like your hair too." He said slowly and tried to cook up something to say about her hair that must've been… beautiful. The colours told him about that much. "I think it's very bright. It's like the sun." And it was.

"The sun?" She laughed, "It isn't _that_ bright." But it was. "I think I like yours even more, though. It's my favourite colour after all." So she liked pink.

"Pink?" He raised his eyebrow in amusement. She was a romantic, judging by how the colours mixed inside her, she liked soap dramas and romance novels, pink lemonade and strawberry milkshake— a sucker for flowers. Who could've known.

"Like cherry blossoms." She added, "Don't you like cherry blossoms?"

"I don't know." He was being honest because he had never seen cherry blossoms. That was the season where he was on holiday, taking a break, sleeping in and watch tv. There were other guys to take his shift during that season, but most of them did a pretty shitty job at it.

"Really?" She gasped, "That's— that's a pity." She stopped midway before wandering further into a territory where he would surely find her insane. She was about to ask him to go with her to visit the cherry blossom festival in the coming spring. That was something you wouldn't do when you meet a stranger— a total stranger.

"How do, uh, cherry blossoms look like?" He asked in an awkward stammer. He was curious to know and he had only heard rumours from other spirits, mostly Gray.

"Oh! where do I even begin?" She grinned and scooted closer towards him. She was full of enthusiasm and it was overflowing out of her in rays of bright light. "They're pink flowers that flow from cherry trees that blossom usually in the spring, at least, that's what a lot of people think they are. I think they're more than that."

"Is that so?" He mused out, "Then how do _you_ see it?"

"I think, each flower, each petal, holds a memory." She said softly, "A lost. A distant past. We all have one, but some of us, aren't quite ready yet."

"Aren't quite ready?"

She laughed again (for some reason. She never stops being happy. He wondered why) "Meaning some of us haven't blossomed yet. There are some flowers that still stay on the trees no matter how many seasons have passed." She said and darted her eyes to the window and tried to recall the last spring she had, it was beautiful. "And I don't see it as anything bad. In fact, I think the way it works is pretty wonderful."

He was intrigued. It was a different way of putting things, of putting life, a way that he rarely saw. For a moment, he was seriously thinking of changing his shift just so he could witness the blossom of each cherry blossom. He wanted to know, he needed to know, were they really memories? Not just some pretty pink trees that bloomed every once in a while and withered the next.

"And?" He chanted on and leaned in closer. He felt some kind of lost, something was missing.

She tilted her head, confused, "And?"

"What happens next?"

"I— can't really describe it." She smiled and hugged her pillow closer and tighter to her chest, "There's always this moment where you don't know what you're doing. You're just trapped in a daze and you don't think about anything else. You just want to live in the moment."

He didn't quite understand what she meant by that and he probably never would, he guessed. He didn't have the capabilities to experience such vivid and confusing feelings as humans did. However, that didn't stop the corners of his mouth to tug into a nostalgic smile.

Wait.

What was _he_ doing?

No, no, no. Everything was wrong. _This_ … was wrong. This wasn't meant to be. This was crazy. He wasn't supposed to be interacting with humans much less talk with them. He decided to use his one chance to save her, and that was it. Then he would go and take another life, and another, and another until her time arrived again.

That was the plan.

"Where are you going?"

Her voice had stopped him.

Stopping midway across the room, he looked at her and found her eyes boring into his, all pure and confused. She was something that he wasn't supposed touch, he would be the one to destroy her purity— literally.

"I'm sorry." Natsu whispered, "I— I have to go." For some reason, he found it hard to say that.

"O-oh." She muttered and quickly scrambled to pick up her blanket off the floor, then she went to soothe her dress and followed him to the window. He was surprised at first as to why would she do that, but soon decided to push away the thought and made sleep his top most priority.

"Will you come back?" Lucy asked, sounding almost too hopeful and placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him to leave without answering her question.

He thought about her words carefully and never broke eye contact for not even a single second. He furrowed his eyebrows and wondered how Life would react.

"Yes."

Her face suddenly lit up and a relieved smile graced her features. She released a content sigh and wrapped her hands around her arms, feeling the coldness from the air outside starting to fill in the room.

"Then I'll wait for you."

"That might be an awfully long time then." He chuckled.

"I guess it is." She laughed and her laughter was like music to his ears.

He climbed on top of the window sill and slowly dragged the curtains close, he bowed and grinned.

"Until next time."

And when Lucy opened the curtains, he was gone.

(-o-)

 _Author's note: I hope you all liked this! Natsu's a little ooc, but that'll be explained soon (in a few chapters or so). Sorry if there are errors here and there, I'm not exactly the most fluent in english .n. Though a beta should be coming soon!_

 _Please drop a review, a follow or a fave if you have the time! They make me happy and you get cookies. :3_


	2. Chapter 2

_(-o-)_

 _Chance 2: The Storyteller and The Dreamer_

 _(-o-)_

4 weeks had passed since their first encounter and Lucy Heartfilla could not stop thinking about him. She was kept, wide awake at night for the first few weeks, hoping and wishing he would be right by her window again with a cheeky little smile to brighten up her mood (because life at a hospital could be so terribly boring). Though, when the hours that were filled with doctor appointments and therapy turned into days, she almost could no longer make room for him— a coincidence or perhaps a stranger in the night, to be in her thoughts.

But she started to wonder at times, was that night even real?

Because why would a man who she didn't know suddenly barge into her room, with a hand that was on fire and was probably intended on killing her (but didn't), and start a conversation with her, and then leave the next? It just didn't make sense. But with her usual headaches and coughing to help occupy her thoughts, she left them aside and finally came to a conclusion that yes, that night did happen. It was far too real not to have.

And Natsu Dragneel, wasn't any better.

Tonight, the night after 4 weeks, just so happened to be one of the many nights where he could not keep her out of his mind. As the moon glistened in the distance, he swooped from roof top to roof top, checking through each chimney and looking at every house in the street for his next client.

His next client, he could tell, was innocent, far from deserving of him. His next client was found inside a house near the riverbanks and there were colours of all shapes and sizes filling in the house. It was the client's family, friends or people who felt pity.

The client, was an 11 year old boy.

Each colour around him was spilling blue and red, mourning and enraged. But why? He thought to himself grimly. The boy was sick, and he had been for quite some time. Each and every single one of them that resided in the room knew he was coming to an end. And yet, they still shed for him after so long. Why weep about someone when you knew from the beginning that you had to let them go?

A certain blonde came into mind.

He shook his head and went back to the task at hand. He crept through the door and into the spacious room. Right in the middle where it glowed the brightest, was a small clump of colour, both green, blue, and… yellow? The boy was happy, yet sad. The family, Death concluded, was definitely weird.

He looked down at the boy and tried to imagine his face. He had brown hair and sharp blue eyes, freckles that splashed against his cheeks and the boy was quite petite for his age. As his hands went down to scoop him up, he couldn't help but to feel a knot at his chest. This boy had so much to live for, so much life, and yet it had all come to this. The bitter thought stained his heart. But when he looked closer at the human, there was a spur of red and pink that boiled up within the boy's stomach and fluttered up against his heart.

The boy was in love.

He looked around the room and saw another human who was a girl, around the same age, was kneeling against where his body was laid on all fours whispering "I'm sorry" over and over again. She was crying. She too, was feeling just about the same emotions as the boy's. The two were childhood lovers, and they weren't for long. In fact, the two probably didn't even know about each other's feelings yet.

Natsu was certain, the boy would've rushed to hug her and kiss her if he had seen her in the state she was in. He was certain, the boy would've wanted to be alive just for her, even if it meant a few minutes.

If only he could.

The boy sat up almost immediately after he touched his arm. His colour drained and it made a messy splash onto the floor. The boy, felt surreal, it was happening too fast, too quick, perhaps he should've given him at least a few more minutes.

As Natsu gently carried him out, the boy was looking around aimlessly for any source of human resemblance because the world to him now, was just a pure white canvas. Unlike many of his clients, the boy did not panic nor did he stir in freight. He was acceptive.

Just like _her._

"Is she going to be okay?" The boy had asked.

"I'm sure she will." He replied.

"Do you think she love _d_ me?"

"I think she still does."

Through the darkness in his chest, his beating heart burned bright for the boy. He knew, she definitely still did love him. And he loved her.

 _If only people believed he had a heart._

The boy was getting heavy.

(-o-)

After her last appointment of the day, she was wheeled out by a nurse named Mirajane, a friendly and well known face in the hospital. But more importantly, she was one of the closest to Lucy out of all the other staff members. They made their way through the dimly lit corridors, waved at a few other nurses and doctors and tried to ignore the sounds of screaming patients— who hopeful would be relocated soon. It was hospital, Mirajane had said, not a mental one.

When they arrived to her room Mirajane made sure everything was in place. All the remotes (the air conditioner, service, TV, etc.) were kept right next to her bed and positioned in a neat straight line, rolled the curtains to cover only half of the window and made sure the bed didn't have any bugs or dust lying around. Obviously, Lucy objected at first finding it far too troublesome to do so and she could've easily done it herself, but after Mirajane had insisted time over time, she reluctantly gave in and decided to let her nurse do what she wanted to do.

"Okay, I've refilled all the shampoo and soap in the bathroom, taken away the garbage and asked the other staff members to help change your bedsheets. The snacks are stored in your bag and I've already taken out the laundry so you don't need to worry about that. Make sure to only take warm baths and—"

"I know, I know." Lucy sighed and quickly pushed her out, "It's been a long day Mirajane. Get some rest. You need it."

Mirajane pouted and frowned, "And you need it too! I can't go to sleep without knowing my patient has listened to my instructions! You," She poked her chest, "In particular! What if something happens? What if you can't remember where the remotes are and you end up walking across the room in the middle of the night and you hurt yoursel-"

"I'm sick, not paralysed." Lucy pointed out with a playful smile, "It's fine. Seriously. Just go!"

"But-"

"Oh come on. Don't you have a sexy doctor to get back to?" She wiggled her eyebrows and nudged her arm suggestively (Her nurse was married to a doctor who worked in the same hospital. His name was Laxus Dreyer). Mirajane flushed with red and slapped Lucy's arm before covering her cheeks with her hands. "Besides I can handle myself perfectly. If I need anything, I'll call you, I promise." She ensured her.

Mirajane looked at Lucy for a while, finding it quite hard to believe. Knowing Lucy, she would rather crawl all the way to reception than bother anyone else who wasn't on shift.

She sighed, "Just don't do anything that'll hurt yourself."

"I promise." Lucy gave a sharp nod.

"Alright, alright. Goodnight princess Lucy." Mirajane laughed and closed the door, "I'll bring my special milkshake tomorrow!" She added across the hallway which woke a few patients.

And with that, the door shut closed and Lucy was left alone.

She then spent the next few minutes getting ready for bed. First, she took a nice warm bath, washed her face and brushed her teeth before changing into a hospital 'night' gown (because they all looked the same anyways), and finally slipped into her bunny slippers and headed out of the bathroom.

With one more light still left in the room, which was a tall lamp that was settled in a corner, she stumbled across to flick the switch. That was when she heard a strange noise. It echoed through the room like a 'thud', an opening… of something and a dark, chilling presence filled in the space.

She was not alone.

"You're hurt."

There, standing behind her and leisurely leaning against the frames of the window was none other than Natsu. He looked the same, he dressed the same, he felt the same. She stood there, frozen in her spot and couldn't make out just the right words as a comeback. If she wasn't as entranced in her daze as she was now, she would've returned a witty reply.

"W-what?" She spluttered out. _Really Lucy?_

"Your leg." He nodded his head to the said part, "It's wounded."

"I- oh." She looked down at her leg to see that it was in fact not only wounded, but bleeding. She swallowed, wondering when had she gotten that (it was probably from her wheelchair. She got bruises pretty often. The edges were… too sharp). "It's nothing I probably-"

"Do you have a first-aid kit?" He said wasting no time but to rummage through her belongings that were scattered across the room.

She nodded, silently, and looked at him with particular interest as she motioned him towards her shelf.

He was back.

He was _finally_ back.

She wanted to stuff her face back into her pillow and scream. He was real and it definitely, was not just some dream. She wasn't crazy after all.

His fingers circled her arm which caused her to snap back to reality, only to realise he was bringing her to her bed. His heat was making her head swim and her eyes dart to his obnoxious hair that infuriated her to the very brim. He was tall, broad yet a little lanky and his skin was tan. He had dark onyx eyes and muscles that only flashed every now and then.

Everything about him somehow managed to sent out both a masculine and boyish feeling, and for that, it was one of the many reasons where Lucy found herself getting more curious about him.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't find him at least a bit attractive.

"Sit down." He instructed and pressed her shoulders down. She plopped onto the soft sheets of her bed and held her breath as she watched him slowly slip off each sock like it was some kind of delicate, fragile thing. Natsu wordlessly went through the first-aid kid and pushed each useless item to the side. After a moment, he took out a bottle of peroxide, a white cloth and some bandages.

"This might… _sting_ a little." He cautioned her and poured a little of the peroxide onto the cloth and held it merely a few inches away from the wound, "Are you ready?"

She bit her lip and nodded. Slowly, he dabbed the cloth on the wound. She clenched her teeth hard and gripped on the sheets like her life depended on it. It wasn't often she had wounds treated, much less get them. Maybe once every full moon, regardless, she hated pain.

"There. All better." Natsu said as he stopped the pressure and wrapped it with a bandage, "Sorry." He shied her a small, lame smile.

Her heart skipped a beat and she released a breathless laughter, "It's fine."

Compared to their first encounter, the night outside was not foggy but it was clear as day. The city was bustling with activity and the bright yellow lights illuminated their bold features. Between them, formed a thick tension filled with silence and words they could not see. There was a thin wall that separated them and it was only a matter of time when someone breaks it.

"You're back."

A lump was stuck in her throat but she remained calm, cool and tried to not think about the restless nights she had. This was their second encounter and therefore, he was no longer a stranger to her, but perhaps… an acquaintance- no a _hero._ He did save her— twice, in fact.

Not that she knew he did the first time, anyways.

"I know I am." He finally replied.

"Why?"

"To see you of course." He rolled his eyes as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I did say I would come back, didn't I?"

"I-I'm sorry." She quickly said. "I thought you would've forgotten or—" Or? There was nothing else. She didn't even know what he did for a living (hah, _living_ ).

"Forgotten?" He snorted. _Impossible._ "I thought we had some thing special." He exclaimed with mock hurt.

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "I barely even know you."

"Well then," He crossed his legs and shifted around so that he was facing her. "I think it's a pretty good time to start. Hit me."

She raised her eyebrow, "What is this? 20 questions?"

"Of sorts." He smirked, "Come on. I'm not a patient person." That was a lie because he was as patient as anyone could get. He had all the time in the world. Literally. Days, years, decades, he had it all. But it was she who didn't.

"Well…" She rubbed her wrists, and started to ponder about her question, "I'd like to know what you've been doing for the past few weeks." Wait, that came out super creepy. It sounded like she was a crazy stalker. _Try again Lucy._ She flushed and quickly waved her hands in the air, "I-it's okay if you don't tell me! That came out wrong and It was a personal question I-"

"I've been… busy." He replied bitterly. He thought of the boy. He thought of the girl. Then he thought of them both.

"Busy—?"

"Hey, hey. It's my turn." He laughed when he saw her pout, "I'd like to ask the same. What have _you_ been doing for the past few weeks?"

"Me?" Lucy mouthed and grabbed the hem of her night gown. She hadn't been doing much, really. Drinking. Eating. Breathing. Trying her best to stay alive.

"I've been… waiting."

"Waiting for who?"

"An old friend of mine."

"Who is this old friend?"

She flashed him a bittersweet smile, "An old friend who is waiting for the right time to strike my beating heart."

And at that moment, he realised, she was talking about _him._

"He sounds like a _swell_ guy." He tried to put as much sarcasm as he could.

She laughed for the hundredth time that day and sighed, "I bet he is."

There was a comfortable silence that surrounded them. Lucy took the time to change her position and tucked one leg beneath her, slowly breathing in the cool air and looked at the quiet streets outside with a thoughtful look. Natsu on the other hand, admired the way the colours shaped her.

"What are you here for?"

She broke from her trance and blinked. "Here for?"

He decided to try again, "What's your… uh… _illness_ called?" The word sounded wrong.

"Oh." Was all she said for a long, deafening moment. Her eyes fluttered close and she inhaled sharply. The pain was still there. Thumping against her ribcage. Reaching. Grabbing. Infecting. She snapped her eyes open to find his dark, hooded eyes staring right back at hers. A new revelation dawned to Lucy: Natsu Dragneel had one of most mesmerising pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"I don't know." She eventually replied and swallowed the lump in her throat.

The doctors never managed to find what was causing her symptoms. It was a case of a few possible illness combined into one, and yet none of them ever finalised the definite result. When she was first told that they not only didn't know what was causing her illness, but the fact that she was also slowly dying, didn't phase her as much as she thought it would. In fact, the only thing she thought at that moment was: _Looks like I'm going to miss this world after all._

He didn't say anything else and left it there.

"What are your hobbies?" He asked.

"Nothing much." She shrugged, "There aren't many things that happen in this hospital. Having cable with only 2 channels is probably one of the crazier things that has happened as of late." The corners of her lips curved into a frisky smile.

He crossed his arms and leaned back, he didn't buy it. "You don't look like the type that stays cooped up in her room and enlightens herself with a tv that only shows two channels." He paused and he grinned (the first time in a long time), "You're a dreamer."

For a minute, they stared at each other. Nothing ran through each brain and they lived the moment, a break from everything that had happened to them for the past few weeks. And during that moment, at one point or another, they understood each other.

"And you're a storyteller." She said with a jab at his chest. He was a storyteller. A very good one at that. He was unspoken. Silent. Reserved. But still one at heart. "Tell me a story."

"And what do I get in return?" He mused out, suddenly intrigued on where the conversation was heading.

"You tell me a story and I'll tell you a dream."

It seemed fair enough because he didn't dream— more like he couldn't.

Killers don't _dream._

"You won't like my stories." He said with a small frown.

"Why not?"

"They're… _different_."

"Different is good."

"Sometimes."

"Is this not one of those times?"

"It's not."

"I think it is. Stories— no matter what shape, what size, they're all meant to be told. Your stories are _dying_ to be told."

"My stories… don't have endings." He just didn't know how to make them.

"Then we'll make them together!" She exclaimed and clasped her hands around his and held it up close to their faces, "I don't really know how endings work either, but we'll make it through." She paused and flashed a small smile, "Together."

He didn't doubt her for a second.

He felt a warm heat radiate from his hands and looked down to find their hands were still with one another. He felt the same heat tickle his cheeks and his stomach did somersaults. What was she doing? What did that action mean? He wanted to ask her. But he presumed it was a human action he would never understand. Maybe it was a sign of some agreement?

A sign of friendship?

Before he could say anything, the sounds of bells, church bells, chimed against his ear in whispers. It was yet again, another soul to take. He sighed and stood up, startling Lucy out of her wits as she looked at him blankly, wondering what in the world was he doing. But when she glanced at the clock she then realised just how late it was.

"Well, it looks like someone needs their beauty sleep." He stretched his back and walked towards the window with Lucy trailing along like a lost puppy, "I'll be taking my leave now."

"You're—you're going now?" She said it, twice, the experience had been far too surreal.

His eyebrows furrowed together, unsure of what he was feeling at the moment. A part of him wanted to hold on to her and never let her go. "I am—" And he turned to look at her again. It seemed as though every word had escaped her lips and she was now breathless, with nothing. "—But don't think I'll forget our agreement."

Her eyes lit up, "You won't? You're seriously thinking about it?"

"Yep. We made a deal right? I'm a man of my word." The words rolled off his tongue with more ease than he anticipated. "And honestly, I think we'll make a pretty good team." He winked at her. It was a strange action humans used and he thought he'd try it out.

Never did he expect to crack a grin from her with a… wink? He believed that was what they called it.

"I think so too."

He reached for the window and opened it, while brushing the curtains aside he placed one knee on top and his hands reached to grab the edges for support.

"Will you come back?" She had to ask. And when he did not reply, she figured he got the wrong idea and decided to relieve the tension with spluttering. "I-I can make cookies but they taste horrible so— well we could order out too but— maybe we should just-" She held her breath and sighed, "I'm… going to make cookies. And I was hoping if you could try them out."

He swallowed and let his eyes study her longer than he should've. He desperately, desperately wanted to see how she truly looked and not just some collage of fascinating colours. He was… drawn to her. In a way he himself did not understand.

"I wouldn't miss them for the world." He grinned and with that, he hopped out of the window and disappeared into the brilliance of the night.

She was left to wonder where could she get an oven.

(-o-)

 _Author's note: annnndddd here's chapter 2! I think I got a little too excited and I didn't really edit this chapter very well. My beta is still on a holiday so corrections will hopefully be made next month ;u;_

 _RansomeNote: Thank you! I was wondering the first chapter was a little odd. I'm horrible with intros D; _

_BeautifulXwords:_ _I'm glad you do! I'll be trying to update as frequent as I can._

 _MitchyTheBraveShadowHuntress:_ _Ah, I speak mainly a mix of chinese and cantonese. Currently trying to learn Japanese :D_

Thanks for all the reviews, faves, and follows!


	3. Chapter 3

_(-o-)_

 _Chance 3: Bring forth The Convict_

 _(-o-)_

Sitting across from Natsu was a man who was hopeless and broken.

He was leaning against the wall, all dead-like, but he wasn't. He was alive and breathing— only barely. He had a few bones broken and two paralysed legs, the ends of his fingers were chipped with blood and they lay dead by the sides of his hips.

The man before him had lost everything. His family. His friends. _Himself._

it was during the late hours of the day when the man had entered a small bar. There was a liquid that he drank that made his head swim with light and ecstasy (Natsu wondered why in the world would he drink such a disgusting drink), and under the influence of his deepest desires, the man had participated in a fight with other men. The humans were drunk, intoxicated in their own ego and they were thirsting for some excitement. Mainly, violence.

Being the humans that they were, they decided to help each other out. And so, they fought day and night and punched with their little fists and kicked with their feeble legs. They spat, they bit, they shouted obscenities to one another until they all fell to the ground and drowned in their own wicked colours. It was a nasty fight. But Natsu supposed there was no such thing as a 'good fight'.

It was sickening to see the state the man was in— not that he could see how he actually looked like, but the way the red moaned and turned and spilled within the man was already too much to handle. The red, was thick and gushing. He expected the man to marvel at the fact that he was still alive— still breathing, still living. Be grateful at the fact that he wasn't dead.

But he wasn't. He wanted _more._

He wanted to feel the thrill of the fight again.

Men like him, Natsu grimaced, were _pathetic._

He craned his head to the side and imagined the end of the sidewalk to glow in all shades of the evening sun, which would've been, if not for the spirit that stood there in his fancy suit and a smirk that would bring shame to the devil.

"You're late." Natsu said as a matter of factly.

"I'm _fashionably_ late." The _blonde_ pointed out lazily.

Death's eyes narrowed, "You know, I was about to leave. And you would've been left to finish the job yourself." Natsu's voice had gone cold, "But I suppose that's never stopped you before."

Sting Eucliffe's eyes flickered with particular interest and squinted at the man who sat limp against the wall, "No, no it hasn't, has it?"

He walked towards the man and knelt down beside him, his fingers began to work through each part of his body to check the state he was in. First the pulse, the eyes, the chest, the heart, the colour. After a moment, with one final calculative glance and a chuckle that rumbled through his throat, he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, looking pleased.

"So?" Natsu voiced out impatiently.

"Oh yeah. He's a goner." Sting said with a half lazy smile and whipped out a knife from his back. It leaked with black mist, a decaying smell and a red substance that would make your skin crawl. It was made for him, used by him, and him only. He treasured it. Possibly, the only thing he truly treasured.

And somehow, people always thought he used a _sycthe_. How inefficient.

In a flash, he stabbed the weapon right at the man's sinful heart. His colours burned and rotted by the plummet of his knife, his heart screamed and cried until it finally settled and it was beating ever so slowly, while it waited for its end. The man merely gasped and his head fell back against the wall with a groan.

Natsu sighed and crouched down so that he was eye to eye with the dying soul. "Do you always have to kill everyone you meet?" He murmured with his back facing Sting.

Sting shrugged and fiddled with the sharp edge of his weapon, "Not everyone. Just the ones who are deserving."

"Which is basically everyone."

"Humans," He said dryly and revealed a smile which was dangerous without him even trying, "Are _pathetic_ little things _._ They're like flowers. They're alive and blooming at first, and the next, they're _dead._ "

Sting Eucliffe was none other than the infamous _Grim Reaper._

Now, the confusion throughout the centuries was that the roles between Death and the Grim Reaper, were always mixed together. Everyone had thought that the Grim Reaper was always Death and Death was the Grim Reaper, which was not exactly the case. Sting's job was to decide who lives and who dies. He had to do all the killing while Natsu on the other hand, had to look after the dying and collect the remains. Each death was more or less decided and done by Sting, unless it was to die of age or a certain sickness that he didn't bother causing. It was a cruel job but Sting, being the heartless spirit he was, didn't really care. He had gotten use to killing the innocent and killing the evil, which made Natsu, at times, want to punch him square in the face. That was why many spirits had entitled Sting _perfect_ for the job.

He saw humans in colours, too. But somehow, all he saw was a palette of black and white.

"The boy didn't have to die." Natsu said, dead-toned, recalling the young client from yesterday, "He wasn't _ready._ "

The smirk never left his face. "I know." Sting replied nonchalantly, " _No one is._ " And with that he turned on his heels and wrapped his arms around the back of his head with his eyes flashing with pure amusement, "If you don't mind me, I've got more killing to do and you've got some _trash_ to collect."

 _You're trash._ He glared at him and turned to walk away too, with a particular patient coming into mind.

"And Natsu."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face him.

"Why didn't you kill _her_?" Sting asked as he stood with casual elegance.

Natsu laughed bitterly, "I don't _kill_."

"You were feeling _merciful._ " Sting's tone had hardened and seemed to have ignored everything Natsu had said, "That isn't like you."

"How?"

"It's _different._ "

"Different," He started and the corners of his lips couldn't help but to tug into a smile, "Is good." The very same words _she_ had told him.

Sting said nothing in return and stared at him blankly. The smile on his lips dropped ever so slightly.

With that, Natsu turned, grinned, and walked away into the horizon he had been waiting for.

(-o-)

When he entered her room, he half expected the warm glow of her colours to welcome him in a soothing embrace, but when he climbed through the window sill, he found that the sheets were cold and empty. She wasn't there. He figured she was at an appointment… or something (hoping very much so it was an appointment). He stood in the room and looked around, biting on the sides of his cheeks he started to think of a few ways to pass time. To start, he decided to give himself a little tour around her small abode.

It was actually quite spacious if not for the amount of boxes that were placed across the floor. There was a bathroom, a kitchen and a bedroom. _Yet no living room._ Natsu thought to himself. After a few more minutes of wandering around he came to a conclusion that the room, wasn't as special as he had hoped to be. Though, he did learn quite a lot about her during his short tour.

 **1\. She loved candles. Her bathroom was suffocating. It smelled like all the flowers in the world decided to crowd together into one small, cramped bathroom.**

 **2\. She had a passion for books. And Natsu just finished reading at least half of them. They weren't bad choices, he had to admit. But the only problem was that he never made it to the end of any of them.**

 **3\. As he predicted, she was a romantic. On her shelf was a row dedicated to romance movies and novels. He scrunched up his face in disgust when he read each description.** ** _How can she watch this? It's way too cheesy._** **He thought with a bit of humour.**

 **4\. Her parents were alive and well. Though they seemed to be quite distant. He could tell by the way she placed the pictures and memoirs of her parents, they were stuffed in the very back of her wardrobe. Hidden.**

He settled himself on the edge of her bed so that he wouldn't mess up her sheets. As he sat and waited, he frowned at a troubling thought: _How exactly, does the Grim Reaper choose his victims?_ Not clients. Victims.

First, he killed a young boy who had his whole life waiting for him and girl who he clearly loved. The next he killed a drunk, broken man with the mind and soul of a criminal who had lost everything he had ever cared for. The second victim, was more or less understandable. It was either a) the Grim Reaper felt some sense of pity for the man decided to stop his misery or b)…

What was he thinking? He was Sting Eucliffe for crying out loud. There was _no_ option A. There was only ever option b) _Sting was killing for sport._

Natsu scrunched up his face in disgust. The Grim Reaper was never a remorseful man, never was and never will be. He had every single living soul at the tip of his fingers, he was basically playing his own version of _God._ A sick game, that's what it was.

However, another the question still remained: Why did the Grim Reaper target a girl like _her_? Her referring to Lucy Heatfilla. Was she anything special? No. Was she unique? Not exactly, but Natsu believed she was _different._ She was… interesting. And yet, society merely viewed her as an ordinary, _dying_ , woman.

He stood up and made his way over to the window and ran his fingers through his _salmon_ (not pink) spikes with a soft sigh. He had been waiting for exactly 3 hours and 32 minutes. The human probably had better things to do, she _was_ alive after all.

Then a question ensued, what _did_ humans do?

Well, for one, he knew that they liked that obnoxious smelling caffeinated drink that they called _coffee._ The most popular place where they produced those (and he believed they called it an 'in thing'), was Starbucks. He didn't get that place. At all. People would go there, grab an odd drink, and just sit in one spot, for _hours_ , completely silent and unmoving. He had realised he never would be able to get many of the trends that were going on (especially _the internet_ ), but still, he truly didn't understand their thirst for _coffee._ It was an obsession, he concluded, much like his feelings towards the taste of spices. Especially the flaming hot ones.

Humans, Natsu thought as he dragged the curtains to the side, were strange.

Suddenly, the door opened with a crack and a head of a certain _someone_ poked in, her face was filled with surprise.

"You're early." She said as she stepped in the room with a small tint of pink on her cheeks. She smelled of chocolate and dough.

He smiled and stepped away from the window, "You're just late."

She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her before flicking on the lights, " _Fashionably_ late." Lucy said with a wide grin and settled her things down. Then she waltzed her way into the kitchen, "Hungry?"

He couldn't eat. He was Death. He fed off souls. "Starving." He lied and flashed a toothy smile. With a nod, he followed her into the kitchen and noticed on the countertop there was a brown paper bag filled with food. There were fruits, chips, meat, vegetables and… _apple juice._

"Apple juice?" He mused out with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Her eyes narrowed and pointed her small knife accusingly at him, "Don't insult the juice." Then she swatted his hand away from the drink and went back to chopping the vegetables, "You don't mind bolognese do you?"

He shook his head, "Sounds amazing." Was all he said. The problem with that was the fact that he didn't even know what bolognese was.

Natsu walked over to the sink, he figured he should at least help her with something, and so he decided to wash the dishes while Lucy stood next to him and started to empty out the bag and pick the ingredients for the meal. As they did their business, she went on about her day and how she endured the long excruciating hours of appointments and check ups. Once in awhile she would stop to retrieve something from the high cabinets and would end up stumbling against him in a clumsy action, every time she did so, her cheeks would flame up in embarrassment and Natsu would laugh and tease her about her height.

She started to chop the carrots.

"How was your day?" She had asked with a hum.

 _Insane. Evil. I hate that guy. Don't you hate him too? There was so much blood, Luce, there was so much danger. Don't you hate people dying?_ He wanted to desperately, desperately say that. He wanted to vent about his feelings, about _him_ , he hated—no— _loathed_ Sting Eucliffe. He wanted her to hate him too.

But, he thought otherwise. There was no point in telling a victim to hate their killer. It was like a second reminder that they didn't need.

"Crazy." He said with as much smoothness and disgust as he could muster, "This guy I know keeps messing things up."

"Messing things up? You mean like a situation or his room?" She joked.

"Both." He smiled and she laughed. That was half true. The Grim Reaper was never an organised person. "He's an idiot."

"So what did he do?" She asked curiously.

 _He killed._ "He couldn't decide… which _ice cream_ he wanted." Natsu inwardly cringed at what he just said. _Ice cream? Seriously?_ What was he? 5?

Lucy couldn't help but to feel a slight giggle coming in. Quickly she sealed her mouth with the tips of her fingers, her lips quivered into a smile. Natsu seemed to have noticed her little action.

He smirked at her expression as he stacked the plates onto one another. "Laugh all you want, but he really is an idiot when it comes to ice cream."

" _Hey_ I wasn't laughing. I can _totally_ relate. I mean, picking chocolate or vanilla is literally one of the _hardest_ decisions in my life." She cried with sarcasm and the two burst into a fit of laughter.

He smiled at her, "Tell me about it. The guy was choosing between vanilla and _butter pecan._ Who even chooses _butter pecan?"_ Lucy nodded in agreement as she stirred the sauce, "And when he finally decided to buy them both, you know what he told me? He told me that they tasted the same. How in the world can they taste the same?" _How in the world can the innocent and the evil be the same?_

"This guy sure has some issues." Lucy mumbled with a scrunch of her nose, "I wonder how he made that decision."

"Oh, _he_ didn't."

This caused her brows to furrow slightly.

"Then how-?"

"It started with a three-sided dice." He leaned against the counter and shifted closer to her and his eyes brimmed with fascination as he started, "This guy carries the dice to everywhere he goes. He rolls the dice and the dice makes the decision for him. He doesn't live in freedom, he chooses not to. So, on one side of the dice there are three red letters that make out the word 'YES', on another side there are two blue letters that make out the word 'NO'. What do you think the last side is?"

Lucy stopped her cooking and turned to him with her arms folded and a wooden spoon in one hand, still dripping with sauce. She stared at him carefully and her lips pursed.

After looking at his face for the longest time, the answer was finally clear. It was right there. Hanging on an invisible wall right in front of her, desperate for attention .

"It's… nothing."

"Exactly." He continued, surprised that she got it, "The last side gives him a choice to choose. The last side— is his only chance for freedom." _Not that he needed it or wanted it anyways._ Natsu thought to himself dryly. "But he doesn't understand the meaning of _freedom_ so he asks the dice another question and rolls again, and again, and again until he gets the two sides he wants."

When he finished, he found Lucy staring at him, all wonderstruck and dazed, she had blinked a few times before she shook her head and straightened her posture, not aware that her mouth was still wide open and eating air. He smiled at her expression and started to take out the forks and knives from the drawer.

"What happens at the end?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what happens to him? After he rolled the dice?"

Confused, he furrowed his eyebrows, "He, uh, gets both flavors?"

"No way, that can't be it!' She exclaimed, "That's so anti-climactic."

He rolled his eyes, "Too bad. I told you I'm bad with endings."

"So this guy," She started off slow, as though trying to taste the words, "Lives in fear. And yet, he doesn't show it. It's like he's wearing a mask."

"A really good mask." He added.

"I see." She mused and for a moment, she was as quiet as a mouse. Stirring the sauce gently and chopped a few more ingredients while Natsu searched the kitchen for some napkins and anything to make the table look more _fancy._

"What is it called?" She broke the silence.

"Uh, sorry?"

"Your story." She looked over her shoulder and tilted her head, curious.

"It wasn't a story." _Had she realised?_

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively, "Sure."

His mouth opened slightly, unsure of what she meant, and decided to go back to what he was doing and so did she.

There was a moment where he would turn to look at her, to admire the way the colours shaped her silhouette. He could smell it in the air he breathed, the fear— the _want_ was stupid and nauseating. He could feel, the sharp ends of her life sticking of out his pocket and gripping itself onto the edges of his fabric. The thought had passed him not once, but a few times, of rolling the dice of the Grim Reaper. When it lands, the letters stare right back at him. In each eye. Judging. _Waiting._ He would always end up walking away with a knot in his chest and his heart pounding like there was no tomorrow.

 _The letters are liars._

 _There's always a next time._

That was what he told himself.

Just, not now.

(-o-)

Once the sauce and the spaghetti was ready, Natsu assisted her in settling the food and utensils onto a small, round table placed quietly near the entrance of the kitchen and Lucy couldn't help to find him quite charming when he did so.

As they ate, Natsu started off with praising Lucy with her cooking and told her everything was spot on even though he couldn't taste a single bit of it. Though, her expression was rewarding enough when she had blushed and beamed. They then proceeded with a bit of small talk while they slowly emptied out their dinner, she had asked him about his hobbies and he in return asked Lucy about hers too. What she found was most intriguing about Natsu was the way he spoke about his experiences, he spoke of them in the tongue of a _storyteller._ Every word, was like magic slipping off his lips. And he found her just as intriguing, if not, more. Her words were told in soft whispers, they were delicate little things for her and he could tell she treasured them with all her heart. She would take every word into careful consideration, fixing them and finalising them before she brought them into the world. Lucy spoke with the mind of a _dreamer._

"What did you dream about?"

She smiled at hearing this. "So you didn't forget about our deal after all."

He chuckled. "Why would I? I told you a story and now it's your turn to tell me a dream."

"Well." The first word was like a magnet. "I dreamt of a series of doors— exits."

"Like the ones here?"

"A bit bigger but yes, like the ones here." Her fingers went to twirl around the round edges of her fork, "And I find myself running, and running— but I don't know what I'm running from and for some reason, I wasn't scared. I was—" She bit her lip trying to find the word. "I was _okay._ "

The words made his lips seal in a tight line.

"When I made it to a door, I would open it, and I would find myself in the same place. The exits weren't _exits,_ they were… _shortcuts._ "

He wasn't quite sure what she meant by that.

"Then, I see this door at the end of a dark hallway. It's light blue and it's the brightest out of all of them. So, I find myself running towards it, running as fast as I can. When I make it there and I open the door," Her eyelids fluttered close and she released a soft sigh, "I see a bridge _to the sun._ " _And it was beautiful._

He could feel the weight of her soul right in his hands. He cradled it as it burned with energy and _right._ He grabbed the fork with one hand and ate the remaining meatball from the plate silently. His fingers were gentle as they soothed the soul. The last thing he wanted was to look down and to find her life dripping from his hands, slipping away like it was nothing.

"How did the sun look like?"

"Bright." She grinned, " _Too_ bright."

Natsu wondered if she ever made it across the bridge.

He smiled as they finished their dinner, talked some more, and got ready to leave.

"Wait!' She halted him before he opened the window. From her back, she revealed a packet of chocolate chip cookies with a pink ribbon wrapped around the opening. Her arm extended and held it up towards him. "Here, I did say I would make cookies didn't I?"

His eyes looked at it wordlessly, before his fingers came to intertwine around ribbon and slowly took it. "You did."

"I did."

"They taste delicious."

"You haven't even tried it yet."

"I don't need to."

He had promised her he would come back tomorrow, and the day after, and next week and the months to come. She didn't doubt him for a second.

By the time he left her room, the sky was roaring with light and sound. The pitter-patter of the rain came crashing down on him and soaked him from head to toe. The sky looked like a canvas of words— a book— an untold collection of stories from the lost and the frightened. They hovered above him and demanded him to give them their lives back. He told them they were talking to the wrong guy, but they were certain they weren't mistaken.

He looked up and breathed in the salt water from the eyes that wept them out. He stood on a rooftop and waited for his trial, for someone to take him away and throw him into the pits for the unforgiving. He waited and he stood.

No one came.

* * *

 _Author's Note: hwoooo I'm feeling angsty lately ;0 And one of my favourite baes have arrived! Sting! BD He's going to be a bit of a jerk (sorry for those who like 'good guy' sting) but you'll see him slowly change in the chapters to come. Lucy's dream is actually slightly based off a one I had. It was freaky o_O_

 _Sarah: Here ya go! Lucy's chocolate chip cookies! Made with love 3 _

_BeautifulXwords : uwahh you reviewed again! thank you! ;u; _

_hlb . xju: Here's a chapter! And thank you! I'm glad you like it! _

_RansomeNote: Ahhhsdkjfhsadf I'm so glad it isn't as weird as I thought it to be ;u; I will keep writing and thanks for reviewing again! _

_owlcity2013: ohoho it always is~ especially when natsu's involved XD _

_wolves silver mind: Is he? *looks around* what a stalker D: Mmhm! And now we have sting in the mix ;0 Alright! Have fun with your pack! _

_DIGIKO12: eeeeee thankus! ;u; here's the update! Hope you like it! _

_Also, constructive criticism is always welcomed. I'm always trying to find ways to improve my writing and I was hoping if any of you can help point out some things!_

 _Until next time! *woosh*_


	4. Chapter 4

(-o-)

 _Chance 4: We're All Runners_

(-o-)

Her father had told her once: _"When you see a man you don't know, run away."_

Her mother had told her once: _"Never go near strangers and never allow them to go near you."_

But why should she listen to them, when she knew they were full of _bullshit?_

The Heartfillas were never the kind of family to show affection or to spend 'quality time'. The Heartfillas were the kind of family that were rich, powerful but lacked the means to understand what their daughter wanted.

Lucy had spent the entirety of her childhood feeling neglected and yet wanting at the same time. She had spent endless hours knocking at their office door, standing by their side and sitting in the corner waiting for the moment when they would embrace her in their arms. Of course, that moment never came. And her parents, in turn, spent the entirety of her childhood trying to figure out what she wanted to stop her desperate attempts to try to win over their attention. Layla Heartfilla, her mother, had believed the cure for her desperation was to indulge her with gifts and her father, Jude Heartfilla, showered her with money ever since she was 8 years old. What in the world can a 8 year old do with all this money? She wanted to scream.

Sadly, they never thought all their daughter wanted was some love and attention.

The first time she had heard her father say those very words was on the day when she started a fresh new term of high school. Lucy had stood in front of his car, her fingers playing with the straps of her bag and her eyes had looked anywhere but his face. She wasn't as optimistic or outgoing as she was today, back then Lucy entitled herself to be 'anti-social' while others around her merely labeled her as 'awkward'. She wasn't sure which one was better.

When he had said those words, she didn't feel the need to hug him or kiss him goodbye, because his voice was blank, rough, emotionless. It wasn't a warning, it was an order. After he had said that, she shrugged, turned, and walked away into the abyss of youth.

High school had went pathetically slow for the young Heartfilla. Unlike most of the students who relished in every moment of their adolescence, Lucy just wanted it to be over as quick as possible. Despite the want to escape, she couldn't deny that she did make friends and she did have fun. She was a teenager, after all.

The first time she heard her mother say those very words was on the day when she entered college. Her mother had accompanied her into the gates of the main building and ordered a few of her butlers and maids to carry in her luggages. Compared to her father, Layla Heartilla did show a slight glimpse of affection from a mother. She had a sickening sweet tone and her attempts in trying to be close to her daughter weren't the most evident, but it was there. In spite of the wounds Layla had inflicted onto her childhood, Lucy couldn't bear to even look at her at times.

When she had said those words, her lips were drawn into a tight, thin line as her eyebrows knitted and her aged eyes blinked in desperation for… for what? Forgiveness? There was a moment of silence, before her mother had wrapped her calloused hands with her soft small ones. She held it there, for the longest time, and looked up at her with pleading eyes.

 _"Forgive me."_

Lucy, was beyond furious.

 _"How dare you? How dare you say those words to me? Do you think I can forget about it? Do you think I'm stupid enough to think that you actually care? After everything that has happened? You're not sorry, I know you're not. You're a Heartfilla, you don't ask, you manipulate. After this, I'm done. You don't need to worry about me— not that you ever did in the first place."_

After that, she had managed to push the Heartfillas out of her life completely. There were a few attempted calls and a few unanswered messages, but other than that, she had never felt more free in her life. She was studying linguistics in a college far away from 'home' and during the course of her time there, Lucy had made friends, acquaintances and even enemies. She even started dating, but of course, that relationship didn't last long. The guy was a jerk.

Lucy was happy. Content. She felt free.

For at least 5 months.

That was when her sickness had kicked in.

 _She was dying._

In the early days of when she was still new to the newfound knowledge that she was indeed, dying, every time she saw her own reflection she would examine herself. Every itty bitty detail, the unseen cracks and lines. Her fingers would trace the dark circles underneath her eyes and they would linger along the curves of her cracked lips. _Am I beautiful?_ She had asked the same question, countless times and still she never got an answer.

Now, she sat in front of the very same mirror as she faced a few years ago, only this time Lucy was more concern about the pimple on her cheek than anything. The Heartfilla had learned, throughout the years as you grow accustom to your natural state— your _true self_ that you couldn't hide no matter the amount of make up you apply, the fact that you look lifeless and worn out doesn't even bother you. She'd been through worse. She'd _felt_ worse. Looks—were nothing but the smaller things in life that she _didn't_ live for, but what she _did_ live for was shopping with her best friend— the main reason she was sitting in front of a mirror.

If she could recall, she remembered quite vividly that their conversation had started during the unGodly hours of the morning. When her best friend had called, the sun wasn't even out and it had startled Lucy out of her wits. Lucy made a mental note to give her a good punch to the arm the next time saw her.

 _"Lu-chan don't you dare play dead on me again. I know it is early and I know you aren't asleep but this is a very important message."_

 _For a minute, Lucy was fooled to think it was._

 _"What? Levy are you okay? Did something happen? Did that bastard Gajeel hurt you? Oh my God, please tell me you're okay-"_

 _"What? No of course he didn't! But that isn't the main reason why I'm calling. Ahem, to thy Princess Heartfilla, you have been requested to have coffee with Grand Duchess McGarden and you are under strict orders… to have tons of fun and be super awake for it!"_

 _"Well tell the Grand Duchess that the Princess is wondering why the hell is she calling her this early in the morning? Levy as much as I adore your never ending hyper streak, I haven't even brushed my teeth or gotten dressed and look outside your window! The sun isn't even out!"_

 _"Gross."_

 _"Hey. Unlike you, there are actually people who need sleep. And one of those people, is me."_

 _"The Grand Duchess doesn't take no for an answer Princess lazy ass. I can physically go there and kick down your door and strangle you until you're awake. You know I'm capable of that."_

 _"Last time you didn't strangle me, you read me a passage from that terrible book. But… you did kick down my door."_

 _"Exactly. So wake up! It's been forever since we've met and this time, I know you got some things to vent about. I know that I have a ton of things to talk to you about! I got a few books from my last trip to Clover Town and—"_

 _"What's the point of our meet up again?"_

 _"Uh… to spend quality time and catch up on everything. Duh."_

 _"What's the point if you spill about everything now? We won't have anything to talk about later on, will we?"_

 _"You have a point."_

 _"Right, so I'll meet you later and please… Let me sleep."_

 _"Fine. Goodnight."_

 _"Goodnight."_

 _"…Are you still awake?"_

 _"Goodnight Levy."_

After prepping herself up for a good few minutes and packing everything she needed into her purse, she stepped outside of her room, sighed, and walked out feeling the need to get some coffee.

She supposed where she lived in wasn't technically a hospital. The rooms were furnished with daily facilities such as a kitchen. It was sorta like an apartment, only with the sick and the old to be the first thing you wake up to everyday. Lucy hated that place. Not because of the staff, but it made her feel like she was welcoming Death into her own arms already.

Oh, if only she knew.

A vibration buzzed through the pocket of her pants. Quickly, she ruffled through it and whipped out her phone. As she winced at the screen, it glowed with bright blue words and she saw the caller ID: _Levy McGarden_. Also known as the person she was about to have coffee with.

"Right, do you need me to come drag you out-"

"Geez, Levy I'm coming! I swear! And we planned to meet at 12:30. I'm still 30 minutes early."

"Hurry up! You know how impatient I can be." She could hear the pout in her voice.

Lucy rolled her eyes and quickened her pace, practically rushing out of the entrance and felt relief overwhelm her as she was glad to be out of the damned place. "And you know how patient I can be."

Levy laughed, "Like I'm going to believe that. Remember that one time when the waiter wouldn't attend to you after only 5 minutes-"

"It was a one time thing!" Lucy blushed, recalling the embarrassing memory. "Just save the teasing for later. I'll meet you there in 10 minutes okay?"

"You mean 10 years."

Lucy smiled, "You know what I mean."

With a swipe of her thumb, she ended the call. The blinding glow of the morning sun made a splash upon the street in front of her. There were small shops that surrounded the area, and each of them burned bright with life and chatter. Especially the flower shop, not only was the array of colours the perfect palette for an artist but the scent smelled _so right_. This was what the world should smell like. _Nature_. Not corruption.

At times like these, she would often beg the question once again:

 _Why do I want to live? I shouldn't, but I do. Why?_

Deep inside she knew, one of the many infamous reasons why she wanted to live was the beauty of the air she breathed in, the chance to witness the laughter spilling out of her friend's lips and to experience what it was like, to form one of the strangest and yet the most intriguing relationships she ever had… _with a stranger._ She had grew up wanting to prove her parents wrong, and this was most one of the biggest highlights of that journey.

As she walked, she wondered if she would die by feeling too alive.

If she did, she wouldn't be surprised.

(-o-)

On top of a hill where the trees where naked and cold and the grass were dry, three spirits sat on a ledge where they looked down upon the world before them, shimmering in all its _pitiful_ glory.

"So," Life cleared is throat and craned his head towards them, "What have you, depressing _legends_ been doing?"

"We haven't met in a decade and that's the first thing you call me?" Sting's eyebrow lifted and a devilish smile graced his lips. Then, the Grim Reaper shrugged, yawned, and stretched his legs out. "Killing. Stabbing. All that jazz. You know the drill, the _stuff_ that you can't stand."

Gray narrowed his eyes, "It isn't s _tuf_ f, it's called merciless killing. Haven't you heard? It's for heartless bastards like you who just wants to watch the world _burn._ "

"Oh you know me so well. I'm touched, _really_."

They stared at each other for a moment, both hissing out invisible insults as one felt the need to punch the other while the other wanted to laugh at his face. Suddenly, they realised Death hadn't said a word since the entire meet up. Slowly, the looked over to their side to see Natsu, perched quietly on the far end, in his hand he held a warm soul.

Sting rolled his eyes, "You still haven't let go of that thing yet?"

"I don't want to." Natsu replied, his tone ice cold as he shot Sting a glare. It's his fault. it's his fault.

Gray scooted closer to him, interested in the human that lay in his hands. "What do you see?"

His dark onyx eyes darted down at the soul that swirled around his finger tips and snaked its way around his palm. The woman was a librarian and was happy with what she was doing. Like many other souls, he didn't notice the times when she wept at the sky from the loss of her beloved husband or chucked a book at one of her five children when they were misbehaving. He had missed everything that was going in her life. The ups and downs. He had missed all of it. Death already had enough on his plate. There were practically humans reaching out for him, chasing him, waiting for him to take them away.

Their voices had haunted him in every second of his life.

He swallowed thickly and his hands couldn't help but to tremble at the woman's voice that chanted ever-so softly in the back of his head.

"She wants to see the world again before she dies."

Sting snorted, "I didn't know you do favours now."

"She needs it." Natsu retorted.

"Everybody needs it. She isn't any different from the rest of them."

"She needs it." He repeated the words. This time, his voice was weak.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this," Gray said, exasperated as he cut in the tension between the two of them. "But for once, I'm going to agree with Sting here. You can't start favouring souls."

"Is there a rule that says I can't?" Natsu shot back.

Gray slapped his back harshly and narrowed his eyes even further. Natsu groaned. "There isn't, but you should try to listen to your friends who knows what's best for you."

Sting laughed, his lips curved into a wider smile, " _Friends._ Sure, let's go with that." his expression darkened, "Let's start with the things Natsu achieved recently, hm? First, you decided to use your first and final chance on a human that's already dying. Second, you're now apparently an angel who specialises in making _dreams come true._ I call bullshit."

"You spared her?" Gray blinked, surprised that he actually listened to him. "Good job flamebrain."

"Oh, so now you're backing him up?" Sting growled and glared, "What ever happened to ' _I'm going to agree with Sting_ '?"

He rolled his eyes, "Things change. We move on. Suck it up."

"You piece of sh-"

"To the point?" Natsu said loudly, his expression was anything but patient.

"Right right." Gray shook his head, "You know what happens when you favour someone. You know damn well what happens."

He did. Even if he didn't want to. He just did.

Natsu nodded silently.

"You do?" Sting chuckled, his tone was dry and lazy. "Well, care to tell us what you've learned today little Natsu?"

Before he answered, Death decided to flip the Grim Reaper off.

He cleared his voice and the words rang clear in his head.

 _"They always die."_

Cautiously, Natsu lifted his gaze to their expressions, they were almost unreadable. If he looked closely, he could see the lump that settled in Gray's throat, his lips parted and his teeth tightened. Sting on the other hand, barely showed any signs of discomfort. The only way he could tell was that his lips were in a full line. The Grim Reaper didn't _do_ lines.

"Yes, yes they do." Sting said coolly.

"Just," Gray lifted his hand to the crook of his neck and rubbed it, his arm had gone limp. "Promise me— promise us."

Natsu tilted his head to the side, "Promise what?"

"Promise us you'll never fall in love." Gray's tone was hard, "Don't be fools, like how we were."

Sting's eyes narrowed dangerously and his smile came back almost immediately. "No, don't be like _him_. I wasn't a fool, I knew what I was doing."

Gray rose to his feet and stood face to face with the cruelest killer among the three of them. His eyes sharpening into a deadly gaze. "What do you mean you knew what you were doing? Was that it? You pretended to fall in love and decided to spend a lifetime with her until her body rotted away? You think we don't see the pain in your eyes every time we talk about her?"

Sting's smile seemed to drop a little. "I have no idea," His nails dug into the ledge, as though he was fighting an urge to hit him. Sting's voice had gotten cold. "What you're talking about."

"You do."

A long, breathless silence ensued. As they carried on with their wordless battle, Natsu continued to soothe the soul that lay in his hands. The glow had paled, the warmth was now cool and hard, it felt like the world's softest rock was in his hands. At that moment, he wanted to ask, if the woman was still alive, _what does love feel like?_ Not surprisingly, the soul replied instead. Its coolness wrote faded words around the cracks of his fingers,

 _"Oh honey, it feels wonderful."_

He looked up at them and observed their state. They looked lost. Kind of like how some humans looked like when they were chanting out his name. He supposed by now, he would be immune to such an expression after the centuries and decades of picking them up with their eyes shouting out that look, though he wasn't. He wasn't immune. He felt something. Even if it would take him a lifetime to find out what that something was.

"I won't." He finally said, but his voice felt so awfully hoarse.

They looked at him, blinked, and nodded, ever so slowly.

Sting then jumped off and stretched his arms before resting them around the back of his head. "Well, I suppose I'll take my leave now. We can't have the world _this_ alive, can we? It's almost sickening to see."

"Sadist." Gray muttered.

It was Natsu's turn to get off of the ledge. He landed with his feet planted firmly onto the ground, the soul was still in his hand. A small grin curved against his lips. "If the world ever saw us like this together, what do you think would be running through their thoughts?"

Sting laughed, "I'd like to see that."

Gray smirked as they walked off, "Oh, I can imagine it already. They'll be trying to tear us apart."

"Ripping us to shreds. They'll be thinking _'This picture is so wrong. Everything is wrong with it! It's an absolute disgrace! I want my money back!'_ " Sting added with his voice filled with humour.

Natsu started to laugh as well, "It's going to be priceless."

"If that ever happens, sign me up."

"Oh yeah, me too."

As they exited the hill, Natsu quickly went to the very edge and stretched his hand out over the slope, the soul wiggled and struggled under his grip.

 _"Thank you."_ The woman said.

 _"I'm sorry."_ He replied.

He released the soul and watched as it went tumbling down.

He wondered if he was forgiven.

(-o-)

"You're late."

Levy rapped her foot against the floorboards and gazed up at the blonde who stood fiddling with the hem of her blouse.

"It isn't my fault!" Lucy cried out in reason, "What was I going to do? There was a mega sale on cake. Let me say that again: Mega. Sale. On. Cake."

"Why would there be a mega sale on cake in the first place!?"

"Exactly!" Lucy sighed and dragged out her seat before plopping down on it.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Levy asked as she squinted at the small words on the menu.

"The usual."

"You mean whatever I'm having."

"I _love_ how we're such good friends." Lucy grinned and Levy laughed in return.

After they had placed their orders, the two of them decided to take the time to catch up on everything they had missed. Unsurprisingly, Levy's life had been one hell of a roller-coaster lately. Not only was she fired from her job but under that very same week, she got another job that paid even higher than her previous job. Lucy supposed that was a good thing- except for the unemployed part, of course. Then, her boyfriend who she's been with for 5 years proposed to her on a romantic boat ride. It was almost sickening to see the two of then sometimes, their kissing and their affectionate actions... _There are single people in the world too!_

All in all, everything was looking pretty good for her best friend. It was almost as if her life could be used as a plot for a romantic comedy. She could see it now, the headlines all screaming _"Premiering next week, 'Midnight In A Library.' Based on the true story of Levy Mcgarden, Magnolia's #1 bestselling author!"_ If that did happen, she would make sure she was first in line to watch her best friend's life visualise on screen.

Levy's laughter brought her back to reality, "Right. Enough about me, let's talk about you! What have you been doing lately Lu-chan?"

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip and silently swallowed the words down her throat. "I've, uh, been doing things. Running errands and all that, you know?" Translation: _I've been dying._

" _Running errands_. I'm totally going to believe that." Levy rolled her eyes, "Come on, we haven't talked in 4 weeks and you're telling me nothing happened? Even at the hospital, I'm pretty sure you got some drama there too."

Lucy gave her the you-know-what-I-mean look that she knew all too well."Tell me Levy, what can happen in a place where you're surrounded by people who are just as sick as you? It isn't exactly a _lively_ place."

"I'm going to take that as a pun." Levy grinned, "But seriously, have you done anything? Or even met anyone new? I'm pretty sure your life can't just be filled old faces."

Oh, there was _him_. How could she forget him? Lucy mentally slapped herself. The night of the fateful encounter with the stranger? The one that made her prove her parents wrong? The light in the darkness? How in the world, could she forget Natsu?

"I suppose... There is one guy."

"Guy?" Levy's face lit up. "Lu-chan you met a guy? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Oh my, this is—what is—my little lucy's all grown up!"

"Shh quiet down!" Lucy couldn't help but to crack a grin at her sudden outburst.

"Is he hot?"

"Levy!"

"This is important! I need to know if my best friend's dating a hottie or a _nottie_."

"A what-? You come up with the weirdest words I swear." Lucy shook her head with a sigh, "We aren't dating. I just met him, we're friends."

"F _riends._ Right." Levy nudged her shoulder suggestively, "How did you even meet him in the first place?"

Lucy stilled. Could she tell her? _Oh, well he just conveniently barged into my room one day with his hand on fire and it had scared me shitless. Then after that we made a deal where he would tell me stories and in exchange I would tell him my dreams. Nothing much, really._

"We met at a cafe." _Yeah cafe. Let's go with that._

"And?"

"What do you mean 'And'?"

"I mean how did you meet? I need details girl."

"Uh... He paid for my coffee."

Levy pouted with a huff, "I expected something more romantic."

"Not everything's your usual soap opera, Levy." Lucy laughed and jabbed her fork into the salad that had just arrived.

"I wish it is." Levy pouted as she took a bite of a tomato.

"We can all dream."

"Sometimes, I wish dreams could come true."

"And sometimes," Lucy said and took a sip of her coffee before placing it back onto the saucer. "They do."

Levy smiled and the two continued to finish their food.

Times like these, Lucy reminded herself, was what she lived for.

(-o-)

When Lucy had gotten back it was already 6:30 pm. For some reason she felt weaker than usual, her head felt like it was about to burst and there was a never ending pressure against her ribcage. She had found it hard to breathe at first, then came the usual torturous coughing and wheezing that made her vision spin and her throat go terribly dry. She tried to compose herself and held onto the wall for support. Her chest heaved into harsh pants, trying to regain her breath.

Lucy wobbled into the kitchen and tripped over a few objects in the process. She squatted down and took a small cup from the lowest shelf and grunted as she rose to her feet. Slowly, she made her way towards the water dispenser, her vision slowly blurred.

 _Dammit Lucy you can do it! You're almost there!_

Just as she was about to flick open the faucet, out from the corner of her eye she saw the window open and a figure stepped in, not a sound was made.

She smiled and looked at him. Her eyes felt small and her body went light.

"Ah, s-so you're here." Lucy said, her tone had gone soft.

He walked towards her cautiously and eyed her strangely, "Luce? Are you alright?"

She released a breathless laughter and swayed towards him, "New nickname? I—I kinda like it." Then she raised up her empty cup, "Care for a drink?"

Before Natsu got a chance to say something, she suddenly fell on top of him, his arms luckily caught her before she could fall. And his heart jumped from his chest.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

 _Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait! I've been a little busy lately and also kinda lazy ORZ But I have to admit, this is more of a filler chapter since I wanted to introduce more background and relationship with the characters. Also, Levy's here! WOO! Well, you can kinda see a glimpse of my other otp which is GaLe owo_

 _A lot of dialogue in this chapter and not very well edited once again. Beta is still not back yet, and if she doesn't if anyone's interested in being a beta please feel free to PM me!_

 _I've been planning for quite some time now to write another fic series with Nalu, this time it'll be much more happier than this one XD Expect it to come in the next few weeks!_

 _And has anyone seen the suicide squad trailer? I swear when I watched that my inner feels explodedsdkjfhasjdfh_

 _BeautifulXwords:_ _And here's another post!_

 _Vanillaeoh : Is that so? I'm happy to hear that! _

_DIGIKO12: Ikr quq these two dorks need to kiss already D; _

_Wolves silver mind: Yeah Sting! Leave poor Lucy alone! She has a certain pink-haired man to return to .u. _

_anonymousweabooaf: hohoho we'll see. And amg, your username is hella cool. _

_: dkADFHJsd oKAy _

_Thanks for all the support! And I'll see you all, next time~_


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